BRIDGEPORT - The Good Will Fire Company was organized on July 23, 1914, and incorporated in February 1915. It was formed by locals that felt the need for a company in town after a fire occurred in the spring of 1914.

The fire company will celebrate its 100th anniversary next week and will continue the celebrations for over a year.

To kick off the festivities, the company will hold a meeting at 7 p.m. July 23 at St. Monica's Hall, Ford and Rambo streets, the very spot where the company was organized. At the meeting, there will be a ceremony including a review of the meeting minutes from the company's first meeting.

Afterward, there will be refreshments back at the firehouse as well as the unveiling of the history museum that the company created. Residents can expect to see original memorabilia from 1914-1915, such as equipment, badges and uniforms.

'We gave a brief sneak preview to some of our older members a couple months ago. A past officer had tears in his eyes. It's a good mixture of history for the past 100 years,' fire company President Jerry Conway said.

The company's history includes its own ambulance service, which served the community for nearly 60 years. The company is also proud of having had a ladies auxiliary, a group of women who helped the firemen with fundraising events as well as during actual fires. Unfortunately, both the ambulance and the auxiliary were disbanded by the early 2000s.

After the commencement event, locals can expect others such as the company's birthday party in February, a parade in May with other fire companies, a golf outing in August and, closing out the celebrations in October, a banquet.

'The fire company is like a big family and we hit 100 years, it's a big mile stone,' Conway said, 'Conway said. 'We hope the public appreciates that and we want as much participation from the public as possible.'